"A work of genius [that recalls] Sartre and Camus, but it is fresher and more vibrant than either."--Los Angeles Times Book Review

Andrea, an eighteen-year-old orphan, moves from her small town to Barcelona to attend university. Living in genteel squalor with her volatile relatives in a mysterious house on Calle de Aribau, Andrea relies on her wealthy, beautiful bohemian friend Ena to prove that normal life exists beyond the gothic dwelling she calls home. In one year, as her innocence melts away, Andrea learns the truth about her overbearing and religious aunt Angustias, her cruelly sensual, musically gifted uncle Román and his violent brother Juan, and her lovely aunt Gloria, who supports the family with furtive gambling expeditions. She also learns the truth about Ena--and why her friendship goes hand in hand with her interest in Andrea's family.

Peppered with dark humor, energy, and hope, Carmen Laforet's stunning autobiographical classic is the story of a young woman who endures the harsh realities of her postwar society, emerging wiser and stronger, and with a bright future ahead of her.